Writing Jfk

Following the dramatic Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961, President John F. Kennedy moved to repair the damage the invasion had done to his image and to his relations with the press. Thomas W. Benson examines two speeches and a press conference held by JFK in the days after the crisis, shedding light on how the structures of speech writing influence the texts of the speeches and policy formation, as well as the ways the press mediates and even helps to formulate presidential rhetoric. Writing JFK: Speechwriting and the Press in the Bay of Pigs Crisis provides the full text of both speeches and the press conference, as well as Benson's analysis of what would come to be known as "spin control." He demonstrates how the speeches display the implicit collaboration of Kennedy with his speech writers and the press to create a depiction of Kennedy as a political and moral agent. A central feature of the book is Benson's exploration of "the enormous power of the presidency to compel press restraint and to command the powers of publicity." In this brief but intensive examination, Benson holds a magnifying glass of rhetorical inquiry to the processes of contemporary government. These speeches have never before been studied in such depth, and Benson has drawn on many sources to arrive at unique historical and critical understanding of them. The resulting insight into the relationship among the press, politics, and public policy will appeal to all those interested in politics and rhetoric, the power of the American president, and the legacy of JFK.

This book traces the evolution of the speechwriting process for presidents in the White House from the administration of Franklin Roosevelt to the present. While institutionalization of the speechwriting process has often been blamed for bland presidential rhetoric, this book draws out the many varied consequences of institutionalization on the speechwriting process. Ultimately, it concludes that the institutionalization of the process has actually served the presidency well by helping presidents avoid the adverse effects of poorly chosen words.

Since President John F. Kennedy's 1963 murder in Dallas, medical examiner and lawyer Dr. Cyril Wecht was initially inclined to accept the official theory that one person alone was responsible for the crime. But as Wecht delved into the evidence with boundless curiosity and unprecedented access, he came to understand that America had, instead, suffered a coup d'etat at the hands of rogue elements within our own government. Nobody else has Wecht's up-close and personal experience in uncovering the facts behind this assassination--and now he is sharing it with the world. Co-authored by investigative journalist Dawna Kaufmann, this comprehensive book reveals Wecht's analyses of the case's forensic and medical evidence. With his keen eye and sharp tongue, Wecht wields his scalpel on JFK's dubious autopsy report, the inept Warren Commission Report, the mishandling of crucial materials, all of the key players, and the media malpractice that has allowed the truth to remain hidden for nearly six decades.

The Memoirs of John F. Kennedy: A Novel brings to life the tantalizing possibilities of "what might have been" had JFK remained president after November 22, 1963. This book imagines an America where progressive leadership takes hold during the 1960s, where President Kennedy, after a grueling fight for his life in a Dallas hospital, survives his chest wounds and returns to the presidency. He is elected for a second term. He does not mount a ground war in Vietnam. Foreign relations with Cuba, the Soviet Union, South America, and our allies and adversaries around the world follow a very different path. This novel interweaves a two-track story. One takes place in 1963 at Parkland Medical Center and follows Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and J. Edgar Hoover as they cope with the explosive events of the assassination attempt while the wounded president hovers near death. The other more lighthearted fictional story-line unfolds through the eyes of Patrick Hennessey, the memoirist appointed by JFK during the approaching end of his second term in 1968. Through in-depth talks at the White House, Camp David, Hyannisport, on Air Force One, and golfing on Kennedy's private course at Glen Ora, Patrick gets to know the president as he reviews his decisions regarding the difficult path toward a peaceful resolution of world crises. This well researched alternate history will strike a chord with readers worldwide-those fascinated with the Kennedy mystique and those interested in the potential for politics to be "done right" during challenging times. Considering the current period-and the 50th anniversary of JFK's election-re-imagining a more positive past may enable us to collectively envision a more enlightened future.